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TODAY'S INDUSTRY LINKS
• More About Community Radio & Endless Committees - ACR• 3 Reasons Why Jay Z's Tidal Is Good for the Music Business - Even If It Fails - Billboard.biz• Behind The Launch: True Taos Radio - RadioInsight• Cumulus hires Tommy Page (Branding/Marketing) from Pandora - RAINFACT: To wake in the morning, half of all survey respondents who use an alarm used their mobile devices. Only 15% of alarm users said they woke up to the sound of radio. - Edison Research "Wake Me Up Study"

TripleARadio NEWS BRIEFS:The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has renewed funding for the syndicated radio program UnderCurrents through 2016. Host/Producer Gregg McVicar notes that this year will mark the S.F. Bay Area based show's 10th anniversary as it now serves 150 stations with up to four hours daily of Triple A programming......Tyler Laporte has exiting co-sign promotions. Reach the former WTMD Baltimore MD via email or catch up with him in Tennessee in June where he'll be a host again on Radio Bonnaroo. Jessica Weber is your radio contact at co-sign......RCA VP/Promotions West Coast Wendy Goodman has been upped to head the label's Adult Promotion department......Producer Dan Reed has announced more artist showcases for the 2015 NON-COMMvention May 13-15 in Philly: Shelby Lynne, Blues Traveler, Leon Bridges, Israel Nash, Jarekus Singleton, and Saun & Starr. For more on the conference, visit NON-COMMvention.

Tracking Triple A: Our Jeff Penfield catches up with World Café Sr. Producer Kimberly Junod - Visit Programming.VIN SCELSA TO RETIRE FROM WFUV NEW YORK, SIRIUSXM'S THE LOFT(3/31/15) Legendary New York rock radio voice Vin Scelsa has announced his retirement from non-comm WFUV (90.7) New York and SiriusXM Radio's The Loft. The 67 year-old made the announcement on his Saturday night "Idiot's Delight" show this past weekend on WFUV. His final show will air 8-10p on Saturday, May 2nd on WFUV while his last SiriusXM show on The Loft is April 30th. Meanwhile, an all-star farewell concert, "Vin Scelsa's Fare Thee Well Concert" is set for June 8th at New York's City Winery.

Starting out his radio career in 1967 as an Upsala college student at WFMU in East Orange, N.J., Vin went on to enjoy long runs in a near five decade career at iconic New York stations WNEW, WXRK, WBAI, WABC-FM (WPLJ), and WLIR.

In a statement Vin said, "I am incredibly lucky to have spent my entire radio career doing exactly what I've wanted. The kind of programming autonomy I've enjoyed, on both commercial and public radio over all these years, is unique. I am grateful to all the stations I've worked on for the privilege of being allowed to wander through their airwaves wherever my interests have taken me. I am grateful to my listeners for their support and their indulgence as we shared this journey together. It's hard to let go, of course, but I always promised myself and my audience that when the time was right I would stop. How lucky am I that I get to decide even this!"

WFUV GM Chuck Singleton said, "Calling this the end of an era is truly an understatement. We're honored that Vin made WFUV his radio home for 14 years, and we're all richer for the time he shared with us."

The New York Times recently called Vin "a master of free form radio" and "one of the pioneers of free-form radio, the style of loosely structured, highly personal programming that became associated with rock D.J.s on FM stations in the 1960s and '70s."

WKKN KEENE NH/WTHK WILMINGTON VT LAUNCH NEW TRIPLE A, "THE PEAK"(3/16/15) A new commercial Triple A station for New England "from Mt. Monadnock to Mt. Snow" has launched on a pair of former Country signals as WKKN (101.9) Brattleboro-Keene NH and WTHK (100.7) Wilmington VT (Bennington valley) become "The Peak". Locally owned by West Lebanon NH-based Great Eastern Radio, the slogan for the new format is "True. Local. Radio."

In a statement, the station said they would be "playing album cuts and rarities side by side with familiar hits from U2, Police, Van Morrison, R.E.M, and Cold Play, with a side of contemporary and Indie mix including the Black Keys, Ray Lamontagne, Spoon and Modest Mouse." A sample hour of music (below) on The Peak's first day included a substantial number of current songs.

NPR HOSTS ANNUAL SXSW MUSIC SHOWCASE AT STUBBS ON WENESDAY; FRIDAY'S PUBLIC RADIO STAGE LIVE ON WFUV, WXPN, KUTX, KXT, THE CURRENT
(3/16/15) NPR Music returns to Austin for a smorgasbord of breakfast tacos and music discovery during the annual South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival. This is the eighth year that the NPR Music team will offer the SXSW experience to those on 6th St. and those living the dream remotely. Coverage begins now at npr.org/sxsw and from public radio stations KCRW, KUNC, KUTX, KKXT, The Current, WXPN/World Cafe, WFUV and stations across the country, and via phone app with the redesigned "Austin 100" mix available as a soundtrack.

Public radio is hosting live performances for audiences at SXSW including NPR Music's official SXSW showcase at Stubb's. Video of these performances will be available to watch on-demand at npr.org/music following the showcase. The opening-night event this year brings together TV On The Radio, Belgian dance music sensation Stromae, Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, 20-year-old Las Vegas dance music artist Shamir, and Compton-born rapper Boogie.

On Friday, March 20, public radio stations around the country together host the Public Radio Rocks Day Stage showcase. Additional live broadcasts, panel events and performances are happening throughout the week.
NPR Music Presents SXSW Opening Night Showcase
Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00PM (CT)
Stubb's BBQ, 801 Red River St.
*Admission: SXSW badge and wristband priority entrance

TV On The Radio
Stromae
Courtney Barnett
Shamir
Boogie

WFUV New York, WXPN Philadelphia, KUTX Austin, KXT Dallas, and The Current Minneapolis are again teaming up to air and webcast the SXSW Public Radio Day Stage at the Austin Convention Center as part of SXSW Music on Friday, March 20. This year the artists include Twin Shadow, Gang Of Four, Ryan Bingham, Best Coast, Madison Ward and the Mama Bear, and Courtney Barnett.

The Triple A Music Meeting is set for Thursday, March 19th at 11am at the Austin Convention Center, Room 17B. Songlines' Sean Coakley is the Moderator along with panelists that will include The Current Minneapolis PD Jim McGuinn, WXRT Chicago PD Norm Winer, KCRW Santa Monica Morning Becomes Eclectic Managing Producer Ariana Morgenstern, Conan's Jim Pitt, and High Road Touring's Matt Hickey.
Note: The Music Meeting at SXSW was rescheduled to March 19th from March 20th.
KUTX Austin Activities at SXSWShowcases & Live Broadcasts
Wednesday, March 18 – Friday, March 20 from 7-11AM (CT)
Saturday, March 21 from 8AM-12PM (CT)
Four Seasons Hotel Austin, Ballroom & broadcast live on KUTX 98.9
*Tickets are available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is $10 per person (ages 2 and under are free) per day and includes a breakfast taco, a granola bar and coffee.

March 18
Emily Wolfe
Robert Delong
Israel Nash
Max Frost

March 19
Matthew E. White
Quiet Company
Dan Mangan
The Dodos

March 20
The Bluebonnets
T-Bird and the Breaks
Wolf Alice
Delta Spirit

Dave Arcari
In The Whale
Inner Oceans
Kitty Crimes
Publicist UK
Residual Kid
Robert Cline Jr.
Rubedo
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds
SPELLS
The Yawpers
Wheelchair Sports Camp
See complete lineup
KVMR NEVADA CITY COMPLETES MOVE INTO NEW FACILITIES
"Bridge Street Project" a collaborative effort with local historic theater
(3/9/15) KVMR (89.5) Nevada City CA has completed the move into new state of the art studios located in the town's historic downtown district at 120 Bridge (at Spring) Street, across the street from their former home. Eight years and 4 million later, the community non-comm station has finished the 8,000 square foot "Bridge Street Project," a collaborate construction effort amongst community groups and arts organizations and numerous volunteers. The new facility includes an expansion and renovation of the adjoining historic Nevada Theatre with a 1,600 square foot new backstage area for the 150-year-old theater, California's oldest.

KVMR's spacious new digs - vintage on the outside and high tech on the inside - contain multiple studios with video options and a multi-purpose community room/performance space for live broadcasts. The room was recently used as the media lounge for the town's annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival.

"This project is a shining example of community collaboration," said Mary Ross, president of KVMR's board of directors. Even much of the furniture was donated by a local company.

The station is in the process of fundraising approximately $2 million to satisfy construction loans. A public open house for listeners is set for March 14th.

KVMR covers a substantial chunk of Northeastern California via a series of transmitters and translators, including the Northern Sierra foothills (89.5), Truckee/North Lake Tahoe (105.1) and areas of Sacramento (KCPC 88.3) and Davis (104.7) and via KVMR.org.

KXT DALLAS PD MARK ABUZZAHAB JOINS PUBLIC MEDIA VIDEO PLATFORM "VUHAUS"
Amy Miller named Interim PD at KXT
(3/5/15) After nearly four years as PD of successful non-comm KXT (91.7) Dallas, veteran programmer Mark Abuzzahab (KGSR Austin/KBCO Denver/WNCS Burlington) has joined "Vuhaus" in the same capacity. "Vuhaus" (pronounced "view house") is the brand name for a new, non-profit video collaboration with some of public radio's top music discovery stations. Known by the code name "Music X" since its debut last May, the Boulder based VuHaus is a collaboration of founding stations WFUV New York, KCRW Los Angeles, WXPN Philadelphia, KUTX Austin, KTBG Kansas City and more TBA that have joined together to build a new service for audiences to discover emerging and established artists. The web and mobile sites will feature in-studio performances in intimate settings, interviews, and live performances, curated nationally and locally from America's music centers.

Mark will be responsible for the curation of videos and a platform POV for the VuHaus national website and national app and also serve as the liaison between VuHaus and the participating radio stations. He will work directly with VuHaus Sr. Creative Director and Paragon CEO Mike Henry, who said, "Mark is the ideal choice to be Program Director of VuHaus. He comes from a leading public radio music discovery station so he knows all the players. Mark has worked with the TV station facility for over four years, has a great eye for aesthetics, and is the ideal curator for VuHaus' national video platform."

"I'm thrilled to be joining VuHaus," Mark said. "Non- commercial radio is playing a bigger role in breaking new artists every year, and VuHaus is another way for stations to bring their unique programming to new audiences." Mark's last day at North Texas Public Broadcasting's KXT will be March 27th. The station has named KXT APD Amy Miller Interim PD.
VuHaus has received seed funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is operated by its founding partner Public Media Company, a national non-profit organization focused on maximizing the impact of public media through strategic partnerships.

NEW CLEVELAND TRIPLE A INTERNET STATION "oWOW!" SET TO LAUNCHVeteran PD John Gorman behind startup with live airstaff, sales/marketing

(2/19/15) Veteran Cleveland rock radio programmer John Gorman (WMMS) is building a new Triple A internet radio station for Cleveland.

WOW Media, LLC has announced the launch of oWow!, "Northeast Ohio's first locally owned/programmed and independent internet rock station" serving Cleveland/Akron/Canton and Youngstown. John and Cleveland radio industry vet Jim Marchyshyn are principal partners in oWOW. John will serve as Chief Content Officer and Jim as Director of Sales and Marketing.

oWOW's temporary studios are in Cleveland in the W. 78th Studio Gallery in the Gordon Square Arts District.

John said, "oWOW is a brand new radio station. Our current music mix includes Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) staple artists and artists not getting exposure on terrestrial radio due to radio chain policies. Today, at most stations new and current - and even versions of older - music you hear are nationally selected - and even chosen through various pay-to-play schemes. The history of Cleveland rock and roll is more than the same 220 songs played over and over by terrestrial radio classic rock and classic hits formats. Our direction is playing the unique musical soundtrack of Greater Cleveland."

oWOW can be heard via Bluetooth, laptops, tablets and we will soon have our own app for easy operation and access to the connected dash. Social media will be a key ingredient of "connecting the dots" from the listener business and arts communities.

"Just as FM replaced AM, online radio will replace FM," said Jim. "Technology doesn't stop. People are connected, socialize and do business online; want to belong to an active part of a vital community. Cleveland and Northeast Ohio has always been a leader in breaking new music. oWOW will super serve Northeast Ohio's seventeen counties, creating the 18th largest media market in the United States. We will specialize in providing results-oriented, personal customer service and the client need analysis local and national advertisers are looking for. It's back to basics with the latest in technology working for us."

Featured oWOW personalities include Ravenna Miceli, popular Cleveland radio personality on WMJI, former Triple A V-107.3 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Moonlight Groove," hosting middays. Cleveland native Steve Pappas will be heard in afternoons and Charlotte DeFranco, former morning host at WDJQ Canton, will host weekends. Susie Frazier, known as a tastemaker in Northeast Ohio's arts and music scene, will host Sunday morning's acoustic Naked Brunch.

John said, "Our personalities are knowledgeable and serve as passionate musical gatekeepers. They will provide the musical soundtrack for Northeast Ohio."

The original creator of the WMMS legendary buzzard logo, David Helton, designed the new oWOW logo.

oWOW was reportedly funded by a host of private investors, a local bank and a loan and grant from the City of Cleveland.

The station is currently in its testing phase and will begin officially webcasting live soon at oWownow.com.
oWow!Cleveland has been added to our extensive TripleARadio.comPanel of stations.

WNKU CINCINNATI NAMES SEAN O'MEALY GM
(2/9/15) WNKU (89.7) Cincinnati has announced the hiring of Triple A radio veteran Sean O'Mealy as new General Manager. Sean, best known in the format for his tenure at WRSI Northampton, recently served as GM for Shamrock's three station cluster in Scranton, PA. He takes over at WNKU effective February 16, just in time to help kick off the station's 30th anniversary festivities.

"My desire to be in public radio directly relates to the core of why I love radio and why I chose radio as my lifelong career path some 25 years ago," Sean said. "Radio should represent something our listeners can't live without. Fewer commercial stations accomplish this." He added, "As WNKU gears up to celebrate its 30th anniversary, I'm honored and thrilled to help lead it and its passionate staff into the next 30 years by furthering our community engagement with great music. My Family and I are excited to call Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky our new home."

WNKU Interim GM Valerie Abbott said, "The fact that Sean's background is in commercial Triple A means he'll bring a fresh perspective to a public radio model that has, by and large, been driven by the more traditional NPR news formats."

A service of Northern Kentucky University, WNKU is a non-comm station with a large coverage area heard on 89.7 FM in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati, 104.1 FM in Portsmouth, Ohio, and 105.9 FM in Middletown, Ohio.

KEXP SEATTLE BREAKS GROUND ON NEW HOME

(1/28/15) KEXP (90.3) Seattle has begun construction on a new and bigger facility for the popular non-comm music station. An official groundbreaking ceremony took place today for the new state of the art KEXP facility located at Seattle Center in the Northwest Rooms. The building will house KEXP's planned new studios and offices, including indoor and outdoor performance spaces. The new home will open up more opportunities for additional public event collaborations and partnerships. With a goal of $15 million, the station has already raised $8.1 million to date since the fundraising campaign started two years ago.

Today's celebration features a remote broadcast of The KEXP Midday Show with Cheryl Waters and live performances by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, among other artists.

Next up, the acoustic "Pin Drop Benefit" for KEXP’s New Home with Brandi Carlile on February 20 at Seattle's Moore Theater.

Look for a large KEXP Grand Opening event to happen in late 2005/early 2016 following completion of the new digs.

KEXP is a service of the University of Washington, who holds the station's FCC license. As a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization, KEXP relies on investments from individual, foundation, business, and government supporters.

(1/27/15) OpenAir, A three-year old AM and streaming Triple A music station run by Colorado Public Radio launched an FM signal today as KDSP (102.3) Greenwood Village-Denver began simulcasting sister signal KVOQ (AM 1340) Denver. CPR purchased the FM from Front Range Front Range Sports Network, paying a reported $5.75 million for the former ESPN Sports format station.

The new FM signal increases OpenAir's reach and signal quality in the Denver and Boulder metro areas. The market is Nielsen ranked at #18 with a population of over 2.5 million.

"This is the natural next step for OpenAir's evolution," said CPR President Max Wycisk. "It meets an expressed listener need to strengthen the quality of the service while also making it more accessible across the Front Range." OpenAir's programming will continue to focus on highlighting Colorado's music community, new albums and upcoming events - and to present bands that visit the CPR Performance Studio.

On a station blog, Mike Flanagan wrote to listeners, "I want to thank you for being a part of the journey so far. FM doesn't change any of that. OpenAir will still be an important part of your daily soundtrack, it'll just sound better."

Mike Flanagan is OpenAir PD. Jessi Whitten is MD/APD/host. Alisha Sweeny is a host and AMD. Former longtime KBCO Denver host Keefer Fulgham anchors the morning show (6-10am) and also serves as Promotions Coordinator. Scott Carney is a host and Music Librarian.

OpenAir is one of three platforms operated by Colorado Public Radio including a statewide Public News/Talk network based at KCFR-FM (90.1) Denver and a Classical network based at KVOD-FM (88.1) Lakewood.

(1/27/15) Founder and producer Dan Reed has announced the initial early lineup of artists for the upcoming 15th Annual NON-COMMvention May 13-15 in Philadelphia at WXPN and World Cafe Live. Dan has also announced that this year's "NON-COMMversation" will be with NPR CEO Jarl Mohn.

Five artist showcases have been set so far: Brandi Carlile, Dr.Dog, The Tallest Man on Earth, Son Little, and Zella Day. Look for additional artists and panels to be announced in the coming months.

REGISTRATION: Early Bird Rates for NON-COMM 2015 are now in effect with first radio station employees attending for the affordable rate of just $120, and subsequent employees from the same station just $60 (when registering together). Music Industry attendees get an Early Bird Rate of just $200. Two (2) meals are included each day, Breakfast and Lunch.

The NON-COMMvention has grown to become the premier annual conference for North America's non-commercial Triple A radio. Originally created by Dan Reed as an alternative to the annual commercial Triple A radio convention in Boulder, the NON-COMM now hosts numerous adventurous commercial Triple A stations as well. The focus of the event is on networking, informative panels, and cutting-edge music showcases.

WNCW ASHEVILLE UPS JOE KENDRICK TO PD/OM

(1/14/15) WNCW (88.7) Spindale-Asheville has promoted midday host Joe Kendrick to Director of Programming and Operations. A veteran staffer at the powerful public radio station for 20 years, Joe started as a volunteer then hosted overnights before moving to mornings in 2006 and midday host in 2008.

Among his plans for the station, Joe pledges to make more content available and to partner and share content, and present more video on the station's social media and YouTube channel.

Joe will be replaced on his Midday Music Mix by Scotty Robertson, host of WNCW's Rhythm Theorem heard Saturday nights at 11pm.

WNCW serves the region with the following signals: Charlotte (99.1/100.3), Boone (92.9), Greenville SC (97.3), and Wilkesboro (90.9). The station is a service of Isothermal Community College.

NEW FLAGSTAFF TRIPLE A DEBUTS AS KVNA-FM FLIPS TO "ARIZONA'S ADULT ALTERNATIVE"

(1/6/15) KVNA-FM (100.One) Flagstaff AZ has switched from a longtime AC format to Triple A as "Arizona's Adult Alternative" under OM Rich Malone. Covering a large chunk of Northern Arizona, the station is locally programmed and owned by Yavapai Broadcasting.

Rich told TripleARadio.com, "Our Triple A is commercial, blending singer-songwriter, alternative and deep classic rock cuts. We flavor it with a little blues and occasionally, a little of the 'modern' sound."

KVNA features a full-time staff of local radio veterans: Rich in mornings, Juli Page in middays and Steve Benning in afternoons.

KVNA-FM has been added to our extensive TripleARadio.comPanel of stations. Listen to the station stream live at KVNA.

(12/22/14) WXRT (93) Chicago PD Norm Winer has named former KMTT/KNDD Seattle Promo Director Kelly Ransford as the new WXRT Music Director, effective January 5. Kelly, a Chicago native, is a major market MD/APD and air talent veteran, most recently at KFOG San Francisco. She replaces outgoing MD John Farneda who recently resigned (see below) after 31 years at the heritage CBS Radio Triple A station. John also served as WXRT OM, a post that CBS Radio/Chicago's Mitch Rosen has recently assumed.

Norm released the following statement on Kelly:

"Kelly has impressive major market experience at some of the leading Adult Alternative stations in the country, including KBCO Denver-Boulder, KFOG San Francisco, and KMTT Seattle. She has an excellent reputation throughout the industry for her integrity, her work ethic, easy-going personality, her knowledge and passion for music and radio, and her straightforward approach as a communicator. She is accomplished and experienced in multiple skill-sets, with her background including decision-making roles in programming as KFOG APD and Music Director (2005-2011), as well as serving as Marketing & Promotions Director for KNDD & KMTT Seattle (2011-13), KFOG (2000-2005), and KOA Denver (1997-2000).

Kelly rose through the ranks at every station she has worked, reflecting both her ambition and her vast potential. As a native Chicagoan, ready to move into a new job, a new office, and back into her old apartment in Lakeview, I'm confident that her transition to life at XRT will be virtually seamless. Especially with all of us making her feel right at home. Please join me in welcoming Kelly to the XRT family."

OPBMUSIC NAMES JERAD WALKER MUSIC DIRECTOR

(12/8/14) OPBMusic Program Director David Christensen has announced the appointment of Jerad Walker to the position of Music Director. Jerad comes from public radio WAMU (88.5) Washington, D.C. where he was a news reporter and Production Coordinator/MD and host for WAMU's music service, Bluegrass Country.

Launched in 2007 by Oregon Public Broadcasting, OPBMusic streams 24-hour "indie, alternative and pop music with an emphasis on Northwest artists." The station also features Studio Sessions with artists. Along with its online stream, OPBMusic is also heard in Portland on HD Radio via 91.5-2 and Digital TV via the second audio program channel of OPB's two DTV channels (SAP).